61–70 of 156 posts
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No, everything about the aircraft is obsolete which is why no other country has attempted to develop anything similar. The J58's are really dated, though most of the thrust is generated by the inlets when supersonic.
I once got around two thirds through a certificate for flying ultralight planes. It sort of stopped making sense to me when we were practicing emergency landings over forest and I was told to aim for trees with thinner trunks. This is sitting inside a cramped metal can with the engine in your lap and propeller in your face. There are so many ways to die in that situation that focusing on the diameter of tree trunks w…
The same is true for gliders and has saved lives (one i know).
Some of the spoken-word mythology that was shared with me by some of the AF elders:
* Each flight cost about $1M
* The SR-71 was so loud and created such massive sound waves, the crew chiefs had to be really far away from the ship when talking to the pilots inside so that their internal organs wouldn't be damaged...
* The engine cowling of the Blackbird would get so hot that the metal would be slightly transparent, where you could see moving parts _inside_ the engine.
* All of the pilots wore astronaut suits.
Worth noting all the above could be entirely false. But it made a big impression on me.
No Blackbird post is complete without a link to the Speed Check story: https://www.thesr71blackbird.com/Aircraft/Stories/speed-chec... It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew.
In 1990/91 I was stationed at a base that once was a home for the SR-71. By the time I got there, though, they'd been retired. Some of the spoken-word mythology that was shared with me by some of the AF elders: * Each flight cost about $1M * The SR-71 was so loud and created such massive sound waves, the crew chiefs had to be really far away from the ship when talking to the pilots inside so that their internal organ…
The "moving parts" may be due to heat waves moving through the air (see also: mirage at a distance)
Chart of speed vs altitude: https://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/manual/5/5-9.php
Is content of this site a subject of ITAR restrictions?
No, everything about the aircraft is obsolete which is why no other country has attempted to develop anything similar. The J58's are really dated, though most of the thrust is generated by the inlets when supersonic.
I've often heard this (also about the bypass in Concorde's engines), but I've never heard a clear explanation about how some element of an engine which doesn't involve burning fuel can generate thrust. Can anyone explain it?
Posting this here hoping that someone with more knowledge can enlighten me about this. After going down a bit of the rabbit hole, I see that the SR-71's first flight was in 1964. It has held the record for fastest air-breathing manned aircraft[0] since 1976. What is the reason that given all of the technological advances that record hasn't been broken? [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_airspeed_record
Basically, satellites took over They are cheaper to operate and less vulnerable to defensive countermeasures and other failure conditions. From a Los Angeles Times article from '89 [0]: > "The Air Force decision to retire the Blackbirds in 1990 is based on several factors. In congressional testimony, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Larry D. Welch identified the increased survivability of reconnaissance satellites, SR-7…
A modern spy plane however would have to be faster than the SR-71, which I don’t believe would be safe against modern SAMs.